The Entertainer
by Yoseob Aggression
Summary: Anna ran away from her oppressive household to become a saloon girl. This story details the relationships she shares with her clients, romantic or otherwise, and her broken bond with her sister
1. Chapter 1

The hostile sun swapped places with the moon after having scorched the American desert with a hellish shade of crimson. Lonely men had gathered in the nearest saloon. Hans Thompson, a man of respected heritage, was sat down at the bar, drinking himself silly whilst waiting for the clock to strike eight. The apparition of a blonde woman entering the saloon broke the man away from his drunken haziness. She sat a few stools down from him.

Meanwhile, Anna could be found in the backroom, situated at her vanity. The dress was on, her face was on, her hair had been styled, and her bust was on display for all her admirers to enjoy and gawk at. She loved male attention. They had no one, but the redhead was happy to be there for them, to sing to them, to dance with them. It made their lives more cheerful.

Glancing at the mirror one last time, the redhead nodded at her reflection in satisfaction. After placing a pistol between her breasts, Anna waltzed onto the stage. The love-starved men applauded and howled in anticipation. Anna beamed down at the saloon's pianist, to which he responded with a soft smile and a slight tip of the hat before starting to play.

* * *

Hans scooted up towards the blonde.

"Enjoying the show?" he asked, taking a glug from his beer bottle.

"No, I'm afraid. I can't say that I am". Offering an awkward and apologetic smile, the sudden interaction had taken her aback.

"Well, I sure am" Hans said, taking another drink. "I must have the devil in me. It'll explain why I like this shimmy stuff. Honestly, you're better off not liking this sort of thing. Shows you're a real lady. You got the decency to come in here with your legs and bosoms covered"

The blonde haired, blue eyed beauty found herself at a sudden loss for words. She had not expected such a crass comment. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Hans continued to make conversation.

"What's your business here anyhow? I ain't never seen women in here, cept for the saloon girls"

"I" she began carefully, the clogs in her brain turning. "I came to visit someone who works here"

"Who?"

Her eyes scanned the room.

"The guy minding the entertainer" she said, gesturing to a well-built, rugged blonde fellow who stood firmly to the side of the stage. Any obligation she previously had to be diplomatic towards this stranger disintegrated.

"I best stay away from you". The sideburns sporting man shakily stood up, but not prior to downing the rest of his beverage. He supressed gas. "If you'll excuse me, I have an arrangement with Anna over there"

Raged seeped through her veins. The woman's eyes locked dangerously on the overly made-up, scantily clad woman as Hans stumbled towards her. The redhead had been dancing with various costumers at once, however upon seeing Hans, her entire being ignited. She engulfed him in a warm embrace and began to dance with him exclusively. Elsa could not see her sister's freckles from beneath the caked-on layers of makeup.

 _Anna shouldn't be here._

* * *

The hours dragged on, and after the last drunkard had been removed from the once lively venue, Elsa crept backstage. Anna could hear her hesitant footsteps from inside her dressing room.

"Just come in already, Elsa. Let's get this over with"


	2. Chapter 2

Elsa stepped into an excruciatingly shabby upstairs storage room. The wallpaper had begun to peel off, resembling the desperation of a man clinging to the ledge of a cliff. In the corner, lay a sorry excuse for a bed. Merely a slab of wood with a few blankets thrown on top. In the top corner of the room, was a makeshift vanity. A chair, a mirror, and a table littered with makeup. Her outfits hung on individual hooks, hammered into the wall.

"Welcome to my Bordeaux", Anna smirked. The redhead watched, amused, as her sister's eyes frantically scanned her surroundings. Wrinkles formed around the blonde's nose upon the discovery of a damp stain on the wall.

"Envy is a sin, sister. I can't help that my homestead is so luxurious", the younger sister joked.

Eye contact was half hazardly made. The saloon girl immediately found the vulnerability in her sibling's disposition. The elder was immaculately made-up, but she appeared un-ladylike, hunched over and anxiously wringing her hands.

"You want something, don't you? That's why you're here. Sorry to disappoint. I don't have much", Anna gestured towards her unruly bed.

"Well, I've not come to scold you. Though I very well could"

"But you didn't come to visit me out of the kindness of your heart. You braved the sloppy drunkards and the cold of night, and here you are, weak and staring at me, with those big blue eyes, like a scolded puppy? You must have a motive"

"No, that's not it. That's not entirely why I'm here"

"Then what is it? Hurry up, I'm bout ready to pass out", Anna spat impatiently. She sat down at her vanity and began attacking her makeup with a box of tissues and a small bowl of water on her vanity

"I've come for your help. I need to escape"

Anna, turned around, eyebrow raised. Anger resided in the young prostitute akin to magma inside a volcano. Previously, she had been able to subdue it, to keep it contained in its reservoir. Now, however, it was beginning to brim, as a direct result of speaking to her sister. When she spoke, her words came out through her teeth.

"Escape what? The pressures of being _the favoured child_? _Daddy's favourite little girl_? You don't know how lucky you are, to be liked by your only remaining parent. You're his prize possession, the family's jewel, and you disgust me"

"That's ironic for you to say that, Anna, given your line of work"

"You think you're better than me. You ain't never done nothing for yourself. I'll tell you right now, you'll never do an honest day of work in your life. Dad will set you up with some rich man, and you'll call quits on all your ambitions, if you ever had any"

"That's not true!", Elsa exclaimed, defensively.

"I'm tryna' get married, and it's not arranged! He's some nobody who works for the Big Thunder Railroad. Dad doesn't even know he exists"

Silence descended upon the chamber. The room held its breath.

"Well, look at you, making decisions like a big girl! How'd you meet im'?"

"From his job, well, from watching him on the job. I would look down from the balcony, and I'd see him conducting the trains and such. I'm up there every day. There's not much for me to do. I'm not permitted to go anywhere. He must have sensed my loneliness, because he waved at me, and he kept doing that every day. I got a member of the manor's staff to discretely give him a private letter I wrote"

"Can't even woo a man by yourself. Gotta' get half the staff involved", Anna let loose a dry chuckle

"Not quite. Though, it would be a lie to say that I didn't need a wing man or two"

The redhead's features softened, however the younger was not fully prepared to let her guard down

"Um, didn't you want something sis?"

Feeling considerably more comfortable, Elsa plopped herself on her sibling's bed.

"Can you hide me? The plan is to disappear. We're going to run, and run. Then, we'll catch a train, and leave this sorry town behind us. We're going to move faraway"

Anna's response was laced with intent.

"There's not a lot of space up here, but I can do that. I'll afford you this one sisterly deed, Elsa. Just this once. I probably won't see you ever again, so let this be my parting gift. The folks who put me up are sure to wonder why I'm housing you. Offer yourself up as a saloon girl. You can even borrow one of my outfits"

"Oh no, that's not me. I very much appreciate the gesture but-"

"They'll turn you in, if they can't profit from your being here. Dad runs this town. He holds all the power; however, women are a rare commodity. This saloon is an oasis, and the customers are thirsty. Believe it or not, I make this place lots of money, though my boss takes most of the cut. We can keep him quiet, if you draw more folks in"

"I've never known you to be so sleazy. I am about to become a married woman, and you want to sell me", Elsa said, more hurt than offended.

"I know a guy who'll protect you from that! Real nice guy, I promise! He minds me all the time, especially when I don't necessarily wanna do... certain duties"

With her occupation, Anna only permitted certain emotions to bubble to the surface. Animosity was allowed in certain instances. It was a protective measure. Happiness came to her naturally. She adored being looked at. She loved to entertain. However, any signs of fragility were strictly forbidden. It would leave the saloon girl open to assault, open to be taken advantage of. Anna swiftly perked herself up. The redhead reached into her breast.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice. I have no other family. I have nobody else to rely on", the elder sister stated with a severe case of melancholy. Her gaze was directed towards the murky floorboards.

"If things go too far out of our control, I can always use this", she chirped, revealing a gun. The elder's head snapped up, and the younger sister's arm received a quick slap.

"Put that thing away! It's not a toy or something to play with!", Elsa scorned

The redhead laughed; "Not much has changed with you. You're still no fun!"

 **Author's note: I'm afraid I won't be very consistent with this story, as college and life often get in the way of writing. That being said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I would like to thank you for reading it!**


End file.
